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Image taken with EF 50mm F/1.4 USM Lens
Unleash
the power of
prime
A prime lens has only one focal length. That means if you want to get closer to a subject, you’ve got to use your feet. While this may make primes less convenient than zoom lenses, primes are usually smaller, lighter, and faster.
See the darkest
nights illuminated
Prime lenses come in big when you need to shoot in low light. Primes offer a wide aperture, which is the opening in the lens that lets in light. That means a lens with a wide aperture captures more light.
Lower the f-stop number on your camera to f/2.8 or lower to capture more light.
Beauty can be
moving
For the same reasons they make great photography lenses, primes also capture amazing HD video. These fast lenses offer a narrow depth of field. That means you can shoot cinematic scenes where more of the foreground or background is out of focus.
Set your lens to manual focus to experiment with creative video focusing within a set depth of field.
These lights were
made to sparkle
Blurring out points of light in the background is a great way to bring a portrait to life. To create a beautiful blur—also known as bokeh—you need a fast lens, and primes are generally faster than zooms.
For better background blur, widen your aperture by setting the f-stop number on your camera to f/2.8 or lower.
Tips to remember
Use your feet
to get closer and help improve composition.
Use av mode to manually select a lower f/stop
to create background blur.
Get close to your subject
and keep your subject far from the background for better bokeh.
Widen your aperture
by setting the f/stop to f/2.8 or lower to shoot in low light.
Use a tripod or lens with image stabilization
in low light conditions to help reduce blur.
Advanced: use an nd filter
to control brightness when shooting narrow depth of field on sunny days.
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